Beyond the Basics: Why Councils Are Investing in Better Governance

For a long time in Newfoundland and Labrador, council orientation was more of an exception than a standard practice. Many councils simply went without it. If any training happened at all, it often meant sending one or two members to a basic course offered through the provincial government.

That landscape has changed. Today, the province provides a full schedule of mandatory online training that covers the fundamentals of municipal legislation and the roles and responsibilities of elected officials. That’s a major step forward. It creates a shared baseline of understanding and gives new councillors a starting point they can access on their own time.

And yet, even with that improved foundation in place, something interesting is happening: more councils are choosing to go beyond the basics.

From compliance to good governance

I worked for more than two decades in Newfoundland and Labrador’s municipal sector. I’ve seen councils at their best and at their busiest. I’ve watched new terms begin with enthusiasm and end with a mixture of pride, fatigue, and hard-earned lessons. With that background, I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting the sector to show a lot of initial interest in our style of council orientations at Strategic Steps Inc. (SSI). I assumed that the essentials were already covered by the province’s training schedule, and that anything additional would be a “nice-to-have.”

I was wrong.

SSI’s council orientations aren’t designed to replace the province’s training, and they aren’t just a review of legislation. They’re a deep dive into the lived experience of governing. We go beyond compliance and into best practices - good governance habits, role clarity, decision-making discipline, and what it takes to build a successful term of office. In other words, we focus on the governance and leadership skills councils need as meetings begin, issues pile up, public pressure increases, and easy decisions run out.

A strong first year in a small province

In our first year offering orientations in Newfoundland and Labrador, we delivered or will deliver eight council orientations. That number might not sound big until you consider the context: only 15 municipalities in the province have populations over 5,000. So, eight orientations is a meaningful signal. It suggests not just interest, but a shift in mindset. These are councils that want to operate at a higher level and are willing to invest in how they govern, not just what they govern.

That’s important because governance isn’t something you can “wing” and hope it works out. It’s a set of practices, expectations, and behaviours that either support good decisions or quietly undermine them.

What councils want to talk about

Across these orientations, a few themes keep resurfacing. They’re practical. They’re timely. And they reveal what councils are grappling with right now.

1. Codes of Conduct: beyond the letter of the law

Councils have been eager to discuss Codes of Conduct, both the best practices in designing them and the realities of applying them. More broadly, there’s a strong appetite to talk about the guidance provided by the Municipal Conduct Act.

Many councils have now lived under this new legislation for a year or so. They understand the basics. What they want next is a better understanding of the spirit of the law, not just the letter. They’re asking thoughtful questions: What does good conduct look like before something becomes a problem? How do we build a culture that supports respectful disagreement and ethical decision-making? How do we handle grey areas consistently? How should a code be communicated, reinforced, and used?

That’s a sign of maturity. It’s also a sign that councils want to govern proactively, not reactively.

2. Role clarity: reducing friction and increasing effectiveness

Role clarity is another Council preoccupation, and it may be one of the most valuable things a council can invest in early in a term.

When roles are unclear, everything gets harder: staff-council relationships become strained, meetings become less productive, and decision-making becomes messy.

Councillors can unintentionally drift into operational territory. Staff can become uncertain about direction or authority. And the public can receive mixed messages about who is responsible for what.

Good governance depends on a shared understanding of roles: the council as a collective decision-making body, the mayor’s unique leadership responsibilities, and staff’s role in administration and implementation. Councils want tools and language that help them maintain boundaries without creating barriers and they want clear expectations that reduce friction and allow everyone to focus on outcomes.

3.        Not mandatory: above and beyond

One of the most encouraging aspects of this trend is that these orientations are not simply “mandatory training.” The councils choosing them are already meeting their basic obligations. They’re opting in because they want above-and-beyond capacity.

Put plainly, Councils have one job - make good decisions. Yes, they represent residents and advocate for community priorities, but at the core, their role is to make sound, lawful, strategic choices on behalf of the municipality. Orientations and governance training are, in a very real sense, their professional development.

We expect professional development in most roles. We understand that skilled performance doesn’t happen by accident. So, it’s genuinely good to see more councils treating governance the same way. It is a skill they can learn, practice, and improve.

Why now? Why Newfoundland and Labrador?

So why are we seeing more demand for this in Newfoundland and Labrador?

First, the municipal system is maturing, especially in larger centres. With that maturity comes a growing understanding that good governance isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the difference between steady progress and constant turbulence. Councils that want to deliver results increasingly recognize that how they govern matters as much as what they want to accomplish.

Second, many municipalities are in a strong position to take advantage of new enabling powers under the Towns and Local Service Districts Act. But enabling powers only help if councils are prepared to use them well. That means clear roles, disciplined decision-making, and governance practices that support strategic thinking rather than short-term firefighting.

And finally, a maturing system tends to invest more in the processes that encourage good governance: better policies, stronger meeting practices, clearer codes of conduct, and a shared commitment to functioning as a high-performing team.

That’s what these orientations are really about. Not just training for the sake of training, but setting a council up to have a successful term of office, make better decisions, and serve residents with professionalism and clarity.

If our first year is any indication, more councils in Newfoundland and Labrador are ready to make that investment than ever. Next door in New Brunswick municipal elections are scheduled for the spring and we’re already booking orientations. That’s a trend worth paying attention to across Atlantic Canada.